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goobster  ·  305 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Hubski, what are you working on?

My mid-life crisis motorcycle rebuild project keeps running into interesting, intensely practical problems that I need to solve before moving on. Here's some of them:

- the factory manual has shitty photos and directions about how to do basic things. So I had to buy the Clymer manual to get better images and step-by-step instructions.

- motors don't actually sit nicely on a workbench, like you have seen in countless photos. They need to be supported with some sort of stand. That I had to design and build.

- Too-tight bolts don't just require more leverage to remove... because sometimes you just break the head off the bolt, instead of unscrewing it. So now I get to learn how to remove broken bolts... and buy new tools to do it.

- Previous owners/mechanics did not do work on this bike very well. So there are three other bolt heads that are terribly damaged. So now I am learning how to employ MANY different methods to remove stripped screws, bolts, and other hardware.

- Old engine liquids (oil, coolant, etc.) need to come out of the motor... get put into some sort of receptacle... and then disposed of. Each of these three steps has unexpected complexities that need to be addressed.

- Most of my tools have been used for work around the house. Electrical. Drywall. Construction. Using them on a greasy, oily motorcycle makes the tools dirty. Now, every "work session" on the bike is followed by a "tool cleaning session" so I don't track oil and grease all over the rest of my life.

- Google is not helpful for finding parts, in almost every instance. Every single motorcycle parts manufacturer and supplier makes every single item on their website respond to ANY year/make/model information you enter. So I may search for "piston rings Suzuki VX800", and be presented with piston rings for 1940-1960's Harleys, Suzuki-themed wedding rings, brake pads for an Audi, leather motorcycle gloves, and seven pages of results of EBay listings for motorcycle tail lights. No. SERIOUSLY. And I'm an old database developer, so I know VERY well how to limit Google search results, the mysterious god-like powers of "+" and quotation marks, etc.

- Wrenching on this motor (and specifically removing stuck bolts) has actually injured my wrist. So I need to give it a break for a few days and heal.

So in the interim, I am designing and building a new light over our front door. Yesterday I built an electrical testing rig for my workbench that I have been wanting to make for several years, so I can test the various vintage electronic parts I am assembling to make this light... the rig didn't work, of course, but it is close. (Wiring switches is a dark science that you need to be in the right headspace to do properly.)

I'm also playing "husband" to the single Mom next door neighbor, who needs a bunch of handyman stuff done around the house. Carpentry. Electrical. Simple stuff for me, but she is really grateful for the help.

The final design for our backyard landscape/hardscaping is pretty much done. Hoping to get that started this month, with contractors doing the hard part of the work, so I can do the fun stuff.

Oh. And I'm going tuna fishing in two weeks, too.